


Comfort Reading Recs

by fanrecfridays



Series: Steve/Bucky Fan Rec Fridays Masterlists [19]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel
Genre: Comfort Reading, M/M, Rec list
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-27
Updated: 2018-04-27
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:01:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,628
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24883486
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fanrecfridays/pseuds/fanrecfridays
Summary: This rec list was originally compiled by members of the Steve/Bucky(18+) Discord server in April 2018 and updated with additional recs in May 2019.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers
Series: Steve/Bucky Fan Rec Fridays Masterlists [19]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1779550
Kudos: 3





	Comfort Reading Recs

**Added April 2018**

[4 Minute Window](https://archiveofourown.org/series/197993)  
Why: it's my happy place. It's not all happiness, but overall the series just makes me feel safe and happy.

[an act of easy mercy](https://archiveofourown.org/works/5520335)  
Why: de-serumed genderfluid Steve getting into cheerful spy shenanigans, WHAT IS NOT TO LIKE

[barnacle boy](https://archiveofourown.org/series/974292)  
Why: Fat Seal Bucky. Snarky Bucky doesn't even need to be human to be snarky. Steve is King of… Everything. Sam Wilson secretly likes all the shit he puts up with. Canadian park rangers. Bucky has a molt.

[Brooklyn](https://archiveofourown.org/works/1669439)  
Why: ALL THE PRIDE FEELS

[Brooklyn Boys](https://archiveofourown.org/works/6114834)  
Why: Bucky and… A stray dog. Dog training hijinx. Bucky finds a loyal friend.

[Bucky Barnes Has His Shit Together (and Other Lies He Tells Himself)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/5344526)  
Why: Steve is the saddest single dad and Bucky is the softest disabled veteran/neighbour who babysits for him

[Dream of Caramel: or, A Recipe For Disaster](https://archiveofourown.org/works/4407638)  
Why: There are a lot of whys, as have been observed every time anyone has mentioned it in my direction or asked for a rec where it could be even vaguely relevant, so it's hard to keep this list to a reasonable length. It has an uplifting beat and great comedic timing with one of the best Clint voices, so reading it is just so much FUN. And Bucky has friends! It's not uncommon for Bucky to be portrayed as not having a very active social life outside of Steve, so one of my favourite things about this fic is that it's centered around Bucky's growing relationship with not just Steve, but the others too; he has a good friend in Clint and is forming connections with the other Avengers, and they regard him fondly and support his 100% stellar plan of showing Steve how much he loves him by cooking (and not telling him he's the one cooking; maybe the plan does have some flaws). Food! Friends! Found family!

[the food of love](http://archiveofourown.org/works/2347649)  
Why: Great Sam POV in this short, cute fic about Steve trying to lure Bucky home post TWS by cooking his LEAST favorite foods

[Fucking Finally](https://archiveofourown.org/works/5609596/)  
Why: au, fuckbuddies, lovesick Bucky pining after smol Steve.

[If Steve Rogers Were Your Boyfriend](https://archiveofourown.org/works/6097468/)  
Why: coffee shop AU where Bucky writes a blog called If the Barista Were Your Boyfriend about Steve. Also there is a cute dog.

[Infinite Coffee and Protection Detail](https://archiveofourown.org/series/195689)  
Why: Snarky Barnes recovery. Coffee. Hair Club. It's the ultimate comfort read. There's a patch of angst but it just leads to more fluff.

[Item One](https://archiveofourown.org/works/7455085)  
Why: post-WS, recovering Bucky is under the mistaken impression that he and Steve used to be together, and takes to the internet to figure out how to act like a boyfriend. Funny and cute.

[Lemon Meringue Lies](https://archiveofourown.org/works/9960476/)  
Why: I found this fic when I was in the hospital, and it gave me a couple of really nice hours of respite from the pain and waiting. Whenever I need a real comfort read this fic will probably always be high on the list of a reread.

[Let's Fall in Love](http://archiveofourown.org/works/1712390)  
Why: A ridiculously cute fic where Tony attempts to troll Steve and Bucky by sending them to a fake speakeasy to pick up some intel. It turns out better than Steve expects

[Lovecraft in Brooklyn](https://archiveofourown.org/series/1005363)  
Why: Eldritch God Bucky. Cthulhu shenanigans. The Cats of Ulthar. Octopuses. Consentacles but if that's not your thing, you can skim the sex. Wool blanket Bucky.

[Put It on Repeat, It Stays the Same](https://archiveofourown.org/works/6584314/)  
Why: friends w/ benefits but they’re both very much a couple of softies falling for each other. It’s a weekend of sex and just…realizing they want more? I dunno, it’s a fave of mine. I love little revelatory timestamps. (Modern AU)

[ridin'](https://archiveofourown.org/series/859140)  
Why: Bucky gets a Tesla. Steve fucks him on the Tesla. Bucky gets a puppy, learns to take care of his puppy, and the puppy helps him person better. Then he has spy adventures with Nat against Alphabet Agencies and gets a nice breakfast.

[sam deserves better than these assholes](https://archiveofourown.org/series/137124)  
Why: I'm a sucker for Steve and Bucky being adorable weirdos around each other, and this series has that in spades, plus a great Sam POV

[Shuffle](https://archiveofourown.org/series/517837)  
Why: Bucky finds an old school iPod on the subway and falls in love with its owner via their playlists.

[Sparked Up Like a Book of Matches](https://archiveofourown.org/works/4064119)  
Why: Sippy cups of super alcohol. A robot named Shitcan. Snarky Steve.

[Stem](https://archiveofourown.org/works/4058431)  
Why: Your mileage may vary depending on how much body horror you want in your comfort reads, but this is The Good Hurt/Comfort, with supportive team and touch-starved Bucky getting hugs and lots of Starbucks

[THE Steve Rogers PROBLEM](https://archiveofourown.org/series/269689)  
Why: Because it makes me feel fluffy and also cry because i've never related so hard to Bucky Barnes as the line about why he would want to write an original novel when he could write with a community of people. Also when writers AU their own AUs it's a good time.

[Strays](https://archiveofourown.org/works/7907179)  
Why: Bucky discovering hipsters. Bike geekery. “Long” distance surveillance. A kitten. Barnes being an idiot. (There is one tense section, but it'll be fine!)

[Through the Open Window](https://archiveofourown.org/works/2485628)  
Why: Because it's an amazing little world. What if, ya know? What if they'd never known each other and never gone to/come back from WWII? What if they'd found each other differently but still been scrappy as fuck Brooklyn boys, living 40s brooklyn lives with all the baggage that implies? PLUS you get ridiculous fandom tropes (i mean, through-a-window flirting? requited unrequited love? platonic dirty talk between bros cuz ya know, its not queer if its for WORK!) And it just feels good. You will feel good about life after this.

[Too Long Have We Tarried](https://archiveofourown.org/works/4906753)  
Why: Funny, sweet marriage fic in which Bucky proposes to Steve as a joke, and gradually comes to realize it's not

[Welcome To Oblivious, Population: Two](https://archiveofourown.org/works/7626166)  
Why: It's just something about this fic how they slowly become such a big part of each others life without realising it.

[we miss being ruffians](http://archiveofourown.org/series/770673)  
Why: Adorable post-TWS identity porn with Bucky hiding out as a ludicrously mustached math teacher in Cleveland. Always brightens my mood

[You Can R’Lyeh on Me](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11134029/)  
Why: Eldritch God!Buck meets Steve by mistake and a bond begins to form. Lots of soft moments and a quirky yet great reworking of Steve's storyline after the end of TFA. Lots of teamwork and good banter.

[you'll remember mercury](https://archiveofourown.org/works/8215972)  
Why: A canon divergence AU where Steve and Bucky weren't childhood friends but troll the shit out of each other anyway. I could just roll around in the banter like a pony taking a mud bath on show day

**Added May 2019**

**Title:** Cheater Cheater Pumpkin Eater   
**Why:** This is a story about two nerds meeting at Halloween and i just reread it and it gave me so many warm fuzzies even though it is spring and fall-related stories shouldn't be giving me feels. The whole series is extremely warm and fuzzy   
**Link:** <https://archiveofourown.org/works/16220027>

**Title:** Dream of Caramel: or, A Recipe for Disaster   
**Why:** _I gotta be me._ Looking for nice, romantic, and a little bit angsty? This fic got you! It's somehow both a little slow burn, because it does take them some time to get there, and fast-paced slapstick screwball. How do you tell someone you love them? By making them food, of course! Now, ideally, you might also tell the person you made the food, but Bucky is dealing with a lot here, okay. He's learning how to person, how to make friends, and learning new skills! (Just spitting it out is not one of his new skills.) Read this delightful story of friendship, emotional growth, love and longing and cooking to make your day a bit brighter! Warm satisying feeling in heart upon completion guaranteed.   
**Link:** <https://archiveofourown.org/works/4407638>

**Title:** Even Underneath the Waves  
 **Why:** Lovely Mer! Steve rescuing WS Bucky (If I could, I'd rec every single one of leveragehunters' fics for the “Comfort Reads” theme :sweat_smile:)  
 **Link:** <https://archiveofourown.org/works/10445910>

**Title:** Fill My Lungs with Sweetness   
**Why:** Classic post-TWS Avengers Tower fic, funny and sweet, with Steve and Bucky's relationship evolving beautifully from platonic to romantic.   
**Link:**<https://archiveofourown.org/works/2817464>

 **Title:** From What Seemed Like a Ruin   
**Why:** Gorgeous fic + art combo. Bucky learns self-care and gets semi-adopted by a small town and trains his own hawk, all before he reunites with Steve. Very interesting take on Bucky's post-WS development too.   
**Link:**<https://archiveofourown.org/works/12380787/>

 **Title:** hold me until we crumble   
**Why:** I have a very soft spot for Bucky being okay, and remembering Steve soon after he gets away from Hydra, and this one fills that space in such a warm and comforting way (plus, you can never have too much Antiques Roadshow)  
 **Linkage:** <https://archiveofourown.org/works/3520175>

**Title:** Luck of the Irish Stroll   
**Why:** It's fun and sweet and has that anticipation and fulfillment that's satisfying and there is comfort and good friends and uhh also a very hot Steve   
**Link:** <https://archiveofourown.org/works/13965333>

**Title:** a shoebox of photographs with sepia-toned loving   
**Why:** we’re talking about AU fics in #fic-discussion and i want to make sure i rec my favorite modern AU of all time. it’s so rare that i find modern AUs where steve and bucky grew up together and are best friends, so when i do i cherish them. this fic where steve and bucky are best friends, roommates, and nurses is so sweet and comforting feels very much in-character. i’ve been waiting for a chance to rec it for fan rec fridays so here it is :)   
**Link:** <https://archiveofourown.org/works/2683916>

Thanks to everyone who added recs for this theme!


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